| Bob and Julie Dunsmore
Casilla 9383
La Paz, Bolivia
Email: Bob and Julie Dunsmore
In August 2004, Bob and Julie Dunsmore finished their term of
service in El Salvador as facilitators for Presbyterian Disaster
Assistance (PDA). They worked in community development in Regalo
de Dios, a housing project that victims of the earthquake of January
2001 are building themselves. Their next assignment is in Bolivia
as companionship facilitators for the Joining Hands Against Hunger
network based in La Paz.
As companionship facilitators, the Dunsmores accompany and, as
appropriate, facilitate the Bolivian network of churches and non-governmental
organizations dedicated to addressing the root causes of hunger
and poverty in Bolivia. The network is called UMAVIDA, an acronym
in Spanish for "Joining Hands for Life." UMAVIDA is
in partnership with the PC(USA)'s Presbytery of San Francisco,
which has joined with UMAVIDA to advocate for justice for the
hungry of Bolivia.
Prior to their work with PDA, the Dunsmores worked in El Salvador
with Alfalit, a Christian organization that works in 13 countries
in Latin America in the area of adult literacy, children's education,
and community development. With Alfalit, the Dunsmores worked
with development and appropriate technology projects, focussing
most of their effort on the community at Colima, where they worked
with women and young people renovating tourism facilites and supported
work in health areas, including the installation of latrines and
a potable water system. One of the many projects they worked on
was recycling waste from the sugar mill (bagasse) into
fuel logs, which burn hot and almost smoke-free.
The Dunsmores were first appointed as mission co-workers in 1987,
when they were assigned to work with Alfalit, in Costa Rica. There,
they had hands-on involvement with such projects as community
water systems, water filters, organic farming projects, bridge
building, food storage systems, solar heating systems for homes
and domestic water supply, solar cooking devices and food dryers,
organic pest control methods, low-cost housing, natural healing
techniques and medicinal herbs, literacy training, community organizing
methods, and handicraft business management.
The Dunsmores returned from Costa Rica in 1993, when Bob became
the area director for South America and the Caribbean for Habitat
for Humanity. Bob coordinated self-help housing projects in Argentina,
Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. The
family then moved to Hillsboro, Oregon, where Bob taught English
to speakers of other languages.
During the years prior to their mission service, Bob and Julie
founded the San Luis Valley (Colorado) Solar Energy Association,
one of the most active solar energy groups in the United States.
From 1976 to 1987, they conducted training workshops and consulted
nationally and internationally about solar energy. |
